Composer-pianist David Lahm's admiration for Joni Mitchell is unequivocal: he calls her "the most original post-Tin Pan Alley songwriter we've ever heard" and his "takes" on her songs attempt to match her originality with his own fanciful, jazzy arrangements. He writes in the liner notes, "I have been able to do what no one else has." Lahm uses instrumental interpretations by musicians largely unfamiliar with Mitchell's songs, and his success will undoubtedly depend on each listener's feelings toward the original material. In particular, one must determine if the absence of Mitchell's utterly unique voice and lyrics is adequately replaced by the individual soloists, and, given the wide stylistic range of Lahm's music, it is difficult to reach any definitive conclusions. However, regardless of one's attachment to the Mitchell originals or one's assessment of Lahm's self-congratulatory interpretations, one thing is perfectly clear: the late Thomas Chapin's extended alto sax solo on "Shadows and Lights" will take your breath away. --Wally Shoup
